Prodigal Son

Chapter 15

At the gala, during dinner, Felicity watched from afar as Oliver stepped back in the main ring of the circus. Everyone at his table was either a celebrity, a billionaire, or about to be married to one. The ring of tables surrounding him was stocked with much the same caliber. Caliber of bank account or fame, of courses, not character. She recognized at least a third of those surrounding him as names from his father's list.

During the salad and entree, some unspoken dictate allowed Oliver to merely entertain his assigned table, after all, those donors had paid extra for the privilege, but as speeches commenced and coffee and desert began to be served. He was pulled at from all those surrounding him.

His professional smile flashed constantly but even from her corner near the band, Felicity could tell rarely did it reach his eyes and too often, he lost the smile altogether as society tried to take chunks of his soul for their souvenir bags. She wished Thea or Tommy or even his mother would have been there to help deflect what must have been a barrage of intrusive questions and comments. His food went nearly untouched but so did his wine glass. If she'd have been in his shoes, she'd probably have been plastered by the time the blueberry cobbler arrived.

"Earth to Felicity. Hello," Curtis waved his hand in front of her face.

"I'm sorry I..."

"Was staring at Oliver Queen again. Man is hot, I get it, but you've done nothing but Queen watch the whole evening. Is something up between the two of you?"

"I don't know what you are talking about. I just don't like seeing a friend getting harangued like he is."

"Friends. That's what you are going with?"

Friends was a more intimate label than what she'd allowed even that morning. She'd been trying to stick with colleague or partner but that was a lost battle. They worked together. And worked well together. They had a shared mission and purpose. But she also enjoyed his company and it felt natural between them. Already the idea of not seeing him every day felt abnormal. So yes, friends fit. Only, out on the terrace, they hadn't felt like just friends.

She couldn't have been imagining it this time, could she?

One kiss. Ok, one long stream of kisses, but then they put everything on hold. Technically. No kissing but lots of loaded moments. At least she'd thought they were loaded. She thought she knew the direction they'd been headed. But then there'd been the confusion at the gym. But maybe that was the aberration, not all the other moments?

If Oliver wasn't interested, she could live with that. The past could stay in the past. But did she want it to?

What she didn't want was to get her heart broken. Oliver in Starling City was a short term arrangement and as much as Thea encouraged her to go for a fling, she wasn't sure Oliver was fling material, not with him living next door and all they still needed to do. She'd had good reason to put the brakes on whatever had been sparking between them.

But then, what had that been on the roof? They'd held hands, which by anyone's standards was completely innocent. There hadn't been anything sexual about it even if she could not think of anyone she found more attractive than Oliver Queen. It had been about comfort. He'd been tired. Lonely. Looking for a small connection in a big world. That's what they'd found with their hands entwined. A connection. Friends could hold hands.

"It's what we are. And co-workers." She told Curtis.

"You and I are friends and co-workers. If I looked at you like Oliver Queen looks at you, well for one thing, Paul would not be my husband."

"You are exaggerating."

"Am I? Anyway, I don't think you need to worry about Oliver Queen getting too much attention. His kind pops from the womb ready to go on a charm offensive. He probably missed being the center of speculation."